


sweet magic

by aretama



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, mahou shounen suga, with sugar themed powers and lame catchphrases
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2015-04-02
Packaged: 2018-03-20 21:11:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3665196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aretama/pseuds/aretama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's not that Sugawara Koushi was bad at being a magical protector of Earth. It's just that fighting monsters on a regular basis and having to keep a secret identity was all rather tiring.</p>
            </blockquote>





	sweet magic

**Author's Note:**

> This was written rather quickly for the "April Fool's Bodyswap" challenge where fanfic authors make and post art and fanartists write and post fic. Since I usually make fan art but I want to improve when it comes to writing fic, I thought this was a fun way to practice! I hope you enjoy it!

Suga was told he was chosen. He thinks they chose the wrong guy.

It’s not that he’s particularly bad at his job or that he hates doing it, it’s more he doesn't think he fits the bill. He knows the whole “protecting the innocent” and “maintaining peace in Japan” thing is important, but all this super-powered alter-ego business is _so_ not his style. Every few days, he wonders if Ukai meant to toss the magical ring containing earth-saving powers to Yachi instead of him on that fateful day.

But there’s no use in complaining. Even if it really wasn't his predetermined fate, it’s his reality now. Sugawara Koushi is a secret magical warrior, protecting the Miyagi Prefecture from all sorts of strange and malicious creatures.

In his transformed state, he goes by the name "Silver Sugar", derived from the shimmering white of his battle outfit that twinkled so bright, it looked like powdered sugar fell from his body when he moved. His title and all the names for his themed weaponry were inherit thoughts that came to him once he activated his magic. He didn't come up with them, he just _knew_ them. It was silly, but that’s why Suga liked it. It made him feel like a superhero from the shows he watched as a kid.

But other than that, nothing was like the TV shows. He didn't have any cute animal mascots or robot sidekicks. No team of crime-fighting friends to back him up, no love interest to swoop in and remind him that the strength he needed to win was inside him all along. He only got a flash of light when he activated his magic ring-- his costume didn't snap on to his body or weave around his limbs in ribbons (well, as far as he knows). No music, no transformation sequence, none of the fun stuff.

It’s a bit of a hassle balancing school, club activities, saving the world, and trying to lead a normal teenage life, but Suga’s gotten used to it. It helps that the coach of his volleyball club is his magical mentor, teaching him how to take down fierce dragon-like creatures when he’s not teaching him how to make a perfect toss. Apparently, volleyball prowess and the Foothill Store aren't the only things that run through Ukai-san’s bloodlines-- turns out they’re a clan of magical guardians too. Go figure.

That day at club practice, Suga is poised by the net, setting volleyballs thrown to him by the managers so half the team can practice their spikes and the rest can work on their receives, absentmindedly comparing making a good toss to shooting down flying enemies with his trusty bow and arrow. He watches Ukai talk with Daichi, pointing to whatever he’s written on the whiteboard, until Daichi gives a steady nod. Ukai claps a hand on his shoulder and sends him off.

“Alright! Kageyama, switch with Suga for a bit!” Daichi calls out as he jogs back on court. He reaches Suga and in a lower voice and says, “Coach needs to talk to you. Just some new tactics, I think.”

Daichi smiles all bright and ambitious, mind on new strategies and how to use them to advance Karasuno to Nationals. Every now and then, Suga thinks his life would be a little bit easier if he told Daichi his secret, but he’s not that naive. He’s seen enough movies to know it would only worry him. It would distract him terribly, and if Suga’s honest, he _would_ really like it if he was the only thing to occupy his friend’s thoughts-- just in a different way.  
  
“Sugawara, we’ve got a troublesome report,” Ukai grunts in a hushed voice when Suga meets him. “From the Ushijima clan.”

“Is it bad?”

“It could be. The Ushijima are a family of guardians that keep some real nasty creatures as magical servants. It seems last week's out-of-area attack from those owl demons, remember those?” Suga wishes he could forget. They were an absolute menace and a pain to shoot down, always moving about in the sky, never staying still even for a second. “Yeah, those things caused a temporary decline in the stability of their dimensional gates. Seems some of their pets took advantage of the drop in security and snuck out.”

Suga doesn’t want to be rude in front of his coach, so he fights the urge to rub his temples. “What are we talking about here? Demon level? Godzilla?”

“Not exactly. Think of it as some zoo animals getting loose.” It's not exactly reassuring. “It seems the Ushijima are sending some of their own to round them up but they’re fast little critters, and they've scattered all over the prefecture. In their report, it says they're mostly harmless creatures but can become dangerous once they feed off the right energy from humans. It’s what causes their power levels to grow. You know, the usual. Just keep on your guard.”

 

===

 

And that he does. When practice is over and they walk home, Suga has one ear to the sky and one eye on the shadows.

“anyway......right, Suga?”

Hearing his name snaps him back into focus. “Huh? Wh-- Yeah! Wait, sorry, what was that?” Suga whips his head back to Daichi, who, oh god, was _definitely_ telling him a whole story that he didn't hear a word of because he was too busy looking for-- what even? Ukai didn’t even tell him. Super-powered zoo animals?

“You alright, Suga? You seem tired.” Daichi softens his expression and dips his head to get a better look at his face.

“Y-yeah! I’m fine, just tired. Didn’t get much sleep last night. That math homework was a pain in the ass.”

Daichi smiles again, “Right. Make sure you get some rest tonight, okay? And if you need any more help with math, just let me know. I’m pretty good with this unit,” he shrugs.

“I think I’ll take you up on that offer,” Suga replies, trying to keep his tone joking and playful, but he’s relieved he doesn’t push the topic any further. Daichi deserves better than a seemingly non committal friend that doesn't listen to his stories and lies about being tired.

(But it’s also why Suga works so hard. If he keeps up with everything, if he stays on top of all his duties and doesn’t crumble under the pressure, maybe he can be the person he thinks Daichi deserves).

 

===

 

The next few days pass with little worry. There’s no sign of these mystery animal demons he was warned about, school and practice continued as normal, and Suga went to bed early at Daichi’s suggestion. Heck, by now maybe the Ushijima clan rounded up all their little lost pets without him.

Classes end and Suga makes his way to the club room to find Hinata, Nishioya, and Tanaka crowded around a small white _thing_ on the ground. He inches closer and sees it’s a little bird they’re all cooing at.

“Sugawara-san, look!” Hinata chirps, “Look at this!”

“Don’t get too close, you guys. It might be scared or hurt. Just be careful, alright? And don’t hang out here too long, Daichi might get mad,” Suga laughs and makes his way up the stairs to change out of his school uniform.

“Let’s get a box for it to live in!” Noya suggests.

“Too bad he’s all white and not all black. If it was a crow or something, it could've be our team mascot!” Tanaka laughs as he jogs to the recycling to find a suitable box.

 

===

 

It's nighttime on the weekend when Suga's special work phone starts blaring. It's one of those pre-paid cheap looking phones from the Foothill Store, covered in cute bear stickers, used only to communicate with Ukai and Takeda whenever they have important magic-related news to relay.

Suga presses the green button and holds the phone to his ear. _Please don't be bad news_. "Hello?"

"Good evening, Sugawara-kun. I hope you're doing well," Takeda's kind voice rings over the phone. Takeda is a diviner whose power lies in being able to read and predict the actions of magical beings. "I hate to do this, but it looks like we have to send you out soon. "

"It's fine, Takeda-sensei, it's what I have to do. Is it really bad though? I assumed the Ushijima clan had it under control. "

"That's the problem. It seems this one's our fault,” he gives a shaky laugh. “The particular creature in question was so weak it slipped our radar, but it was right under our noses. According to the reports from Ushijima, it feeds on motivated energy and ambition from humans. And well, seeing as it camped out in front of our club room for quite some time, it, er, must've had a lot to eat."

Outside the club room---? _Oh_ , it was probably that strange white bird the guys were looking at. Suga let out a heavy sigh. How could he have been so careless?

"Right. Where is it now? I'll clean up this mess before it gets out of control,"

"That's another problem. We can't exactly tell. It's power levels and physical form have been fluctuating too much for me to properly track it. Ukai says it must be looking for another power source to stabilize into it’s next form. We just know it’s around the area. It’s important you catch and seal it before it can fully transform and cause any damage."

“On it,” He hangs up and peers out his window, looking for any signs of magical activity. Since the bird stuck around their club room and grew off their energy, it’s possible it followed one of the club members home. Suga laughs, thinking how ridiculous it might be to ring up each of the team members at night with a “Hey! Sugawara here, seen any weird birds lately?”. Instead, he tries to solve the puzzle himself.

Kageyama and Hinata are the ones always overflowing with vigor, but the magical creature might’ve taken in too much of that already. If it’s really looking to stabilize its energy levels like Ukai thinks, it’s bound to be looking for a more steady source of power. Someone with just as much tenacity, a strong desire to succeed, but not as raw and unhinged as the first years. Someone more focus, concentrated, and---

Oh, _frick_.

Forget front doors, Suga grabs his personal cell and tumbles out his bedroom window. Once he steadies himself, he calls Daichi's number and starts running.

“Hello? Suga?” Daichi answers after a few rings.

“Hey, Daichi. What’re you up to?” He steadies his breath and tries not to make it sound obvious that he’s running.

“Uh, studying! Actually, no. That’s a lie. I’m taking a break. Going to the konbini to get snacks, then coming back to study. Why, anything wrong?”

The convenience store isn’t too far from Suga’s home, that’s good. Suga can meet up with him and make sure he’s alright before he hunts down the Ushijima pet. “Uh, nah,” he lets out a pant, “just bored. I was uh, taking a study break too. Hey, wanna meet up at the konbini?”

“Yeah, sounds great! If you want, you can come over later and we can study--”

“Excellent, okay, see you later! Bye!” Suga hangs up, shoves the cell in his pocket, and picks up speed. A few blocks later, he’s at the turn for the konbini. He spots Daichi crouched by the side of the road, though he doesn't seem to be in pain.

“Daichi!” he calls out.

Daichi turns around and smiles, “Wow, you got here faster than I expected. Were you running? Anyway, check this little guy out!” Daichi pivots his body to give Suga a view of whatever he’s looking at, and Suga’s prediction was right. There’s the strange white bird, sharp eyes concentrated on Daichi. “It’s like, a white hawk or something! He was just hanging around, hopping after me. I've never seen anything like it before. Maybe it’s albino.”

“You should get away from it.” He tries to coax his friend away. He has no idea how much energy the bird’s already stolen and how big its next form will be. “It could be, uh, carrying diseases. Like… rabies?” _If I can get Daichi to go inside_ , Suga thinks, _I can seal the bird’s power without being seen and this’ll all be over in a flash_.

“Birds don’t get rabies.”

“Don't get smart with me, just listen, okay!” Suga grabs Daichi’s shoulder and tries to gently push him back, but his slightly panicked actions and tone of voice were a wrong move. The bird, now startled, caws loudly, far louder than it should be able to for it’s size. It starts to flap it’s wings faster and harder, until it creates strong gusts that keep Suga from moving forward.

“Ah!” Daichi reaches to cover his ears, but his body seems to crumple on itself until he falls over on the ground. Daichi’s much stronger and sturdier than Suga, so if he’s on the ground, Daichi must definitely be weakened by the bird’s whole “feeding” thing.

“Daichi!” Suga tries to reach him, but it’s hard to move and keep his eyes open. He brings an arm up to shield his eyes, and when he looks up, he notices it’s no longer a small white hawk in front of him. The Ushijima’s creature completed its transformation.

The creature is a mix of human and avian features, a bird-like head that looks like a carved and painted mask, a strong masculine body with claws and large white wings on its back, brandishing a long bamboo stalk like a weapon. It’s legs are jointed like birds’ feet, sharp talons at the end, keeping it tall and upright. It must be standing at least two heads above Suga and oh, he is _so_ screwed. It reminds him of images of tengu and other yokai he’s seen on TV and in books, but he doesn’t remember them being quite so menacing… Well, he _is_ dealing with a creature under the Ushijima rule, after all.

But Suga’s got a transformation of his own. He tugs the magic ring out from under his shirt, attached to a chain hanging by his neck, and squeezes it tight in his fist. The burst of light erupts and outfits Suga in his majestic Silver Sugar battle uniform. He steps in front of his friend, still on the ground, and draws his arm out to summon his weapon.

A sparkling white and silver rapier materializes in his hands. Suga has a small array of weapons at his disposal, and while his weapon of choice is his bow and arrow, he doesn’t have the luxury for ranged attacks now. “Sorry, little bird, but it seems your sugar levels,” he draws his Sugar Sword up to the sky and brings it down to point directly at his opponent, “are about to go sky high!”

He has to act fast and draw the creature away from Daichi, so Suga makes the first move and thrusts with his sword toward the bird creature. With another loud caw, the bird dodges and parries the next few attacks with its bamboo staff. It swings, causing Suga to jump and flip a distance back. This gives him a chance to change weapons. With a twirl of his hand, the Sugar Sword morphs into a shimmering white bow with arrows formed of white light.

Suga shoots an array of arrows towards the bird’s body as it lunges toward him, managing to land a couple hits, but not enough to stop it from charging. There’s a small sense of pride Suga feels at the back of his chest from seeing the once small bird now so powerful after feeding off his team’s positive energy-- but _damn_ if this isn't a pain in the ass now.

He changes his battle tactic, blocking the bird’s bamboo weapon with his bow and using his light arrows like daggers when he has the chance to attack. He stabs a few into the bird’s side and it lets out another loud screech. _It won’t be too long now_ , Suga thinks, until he sees a stirring movement out of the corner of his eye.

Daichi’s up again, bewildered expression on his face as he gapes at the scene playing out in front of him. He’s seen some weird things in his day, but a sparkling prince doing battle with a bird-man-demon-thing was definitely not normal. Especially when the prince in question looks so… familiar.

“Dai-- Get out of here! It’s dangerous!” The bird senses a lapse in Suga’s strength as he warns his friend to leave and takes the opportunity to deal a blow to his side, knocking him back. Suga lands a distance away, hits the ground a few times, and rolls to a stop. He has a few scrapes on his hands and face, but somehow his outfit remains spotless.

Propping himself up on shaking arms, Suga looks at the ground to measure the distance between him, the bird, and Daichi. He can’t seem to find the latter’s feet (which is good, maybe Daichi took his advice and booked it) but the bird is close. Suga scrambles for the bow that he dropped during his tumble, but the bird catches him first and kicks him again.

Suga tries once more to get up, but the bird steps on his chest with a heavy, clawed foot. He coughs once and tries to pry the foot off him. He looks up and sees the bird’s bamboo staff held above him, end sharpened. He’s screwed, he’s _so screwed_. Screw the Ushijimas, screw Ukai and Takeda and his chosen fate, he’s going to _die_ in this sparkly outfit just as they were definitely going to make Nationals this year, he’s going to die without telling anyone anything, he’s going to die, _he’s going to die_ and--  
  
 _WHAM!!_  
  
Suddenly, the weight’s off Suga’s chest and he sees the bird creature fall to the ground with a heavy thud. He blinks up at the open sky and looks to the side. Daichi’s there, shaking his right hand and rubbing the knuckles.

“What.. Why are you still here? What did you do?” Suga asks.

“I punched it.”

“You _what_?”

“I punched it. The bird guy. I punched him. He seemed like kind of an asshole, and you seemed kind of in danger so I just, you know.” He swung his arm, “Pow! Decked ‘em.”

Daichi reached an arm out to help Suga off the ground. “What, no good?”

Suga takes his hand and collects his weapon as he gets back on his feet. “No, it’s good. Very good. _Saved my ass_ good. Nice arm you got--”

“Watch out!” Daichi yells, and shoves Suga out of the way. The bird managed to get itself back up, launching itself at the pair. It lashes out with its arms, Daichi putting his own up to shield his head and torso, but the claws make contact and rip at Daichi’s skin, leaving three angry scratches on his forearm. “Shit!” he screams as blood drips down his arm. Suga, now a few feet away, regains his footing and sees Daichi’s blood fall to the asphalt.

“Oh, you’re _so_ dead,” he growls at the bird. “I _like_ those forearms!”

It may be a bit too early to literally pull out the big guns for a finishing move, but Suga’s livid. He leans back, putting his weight on one leg and holds his bow and arrow across his arm like a crossbow. With a bright flash, the two converge and form a shining standing cannon.

“This,” Suga announces, “is the Sugar Rush, courtesy of the Foothill Store. But as a warning, the aftertaste is a little strong! Hope you enjoy!” he cackles, and pulls the trigger. A huge, bright light erupts from the canon and envelops the bird creature in front of Daichi. Daichi shields his eyes with his still bleeding arm and watches the bird’s form disappear in the beam as it lets out a final screech.

When the light dies down, the half-man half-bird creature is no longer there, now replaced with a tiny squawking chick, smaller than the hawk he first saw it as, hopping on the ground like a parakeet.

“Not so tough now, huh?” Daichi laughs to himself. He steps in front of the chick to keep it from hopping too far away as the nearby warrior sighs and dissipates his cannon away in favor of what looks a scepter.

“This little brat’s caused enough trouble I think,” Suga says as he pushes Daichi aside. “Give me a sec, I’ll seal this thing’s magic powers with the Sugar Cane and I’ll tend to your wounds, okay?” Suga’s relieved that the both of them aren't too banged up after facing a monster, but now that he has time to think, he realizes how messed up all of this is. The Silver Sugar outfit has no mask to cover his face, it doesn't change his hair or disguise his voice, and this entire time he’s been fighting right next to Daichi. He wonders if there’s some hidden power in the transformation magic that shrouds his identity, but in case there isn't, he keeps his shoulders up and face turned away in hopes Daichi never got a good look at his face.

With a twirl of his scepter and a tap on the bird’s head, Suga seals the bird’s power and creates a small temporary cage of light to keep it in. “That’ll keep you until Uka-- I mean, my backup arrives.” He keeps his head down and turns, “Let me see your arm?”

Daichi offers his bleeding arm, wincing as he moves, and Suga gently pulls him down to sit. The gashes aren’t deep, but Suga still feels awful for getting Daichi hurt. He pulls a gem from the side of his belt and crushes it in his fist, causing his hand to glow. “It’s uhm, a Sugar Crystal,” he explains, suddenly feeling very self-conscious and silly over the themed names for his objects. “It’ll heal you, so don’t worry.” Suga places his glowing hand over the cuts on Daichi’s arm with a gentle touch.

“Thanks. But what about you, Suga? Are you alright? That thing seemed to knock you around a bit.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I heal pretty quickly when I’m transformed---” Wait, _what_. He shoots his head up to make eye contact. “You can tell who I am?”

“Uh, yeah.” Daichi states matter-of-factly. “You look and sound exactly the same. You were with me before the bird thing changed. You just answered to Suga. So yeah, I’m pretty sure you’re Suga.”

Suga gave a loud groan and hung his head. “Ugh, I knew it was obvious but not that obvious! They can never tell on TV! I tried so hard to keep it secret, too!”

“Do you do this sort of thing a lot? This fighting monsters thing?”

“Every couple of days,” Suga mumbles, head still hanging low.

“Is that why you’re so tired all the time?”

“Yeah… Sorry for lying about that.”

“No, I get it. Does anyone else know?”

“Just Ukai-san and Takeda-sensei. They’re the ones that gave me the powers anyway.”  Suga continues to massage Daichi’s forearm, making sure the scratches have completely disappeared. He’s satisfied with the healing, but he keeps his hand lingering on Daichi’s skin. It’s not the way he would’ve chosen to reveal his secret, but at least now Daichi knows.

“It makes sense, I think. You being a magical protector of Earth and all.” Daichi laughs softly and looks down. “I mean, I knew you were amazing, Suga. But now, even more so.” He pulls his arm back slowly and turns it so Suga’s hand lands on top of his open palm.

Suga feels himself grow warm, from his ears to his cheeks and down to his neck. He smiles and gives Daichi’s hand a small squeeze. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Only thanks to you.” He squeezes back. “So do you work alone, or do you have a team I don’t know about?”

“It’s just me. Silver Sugar, saving the day and fighting weird monsters.”

“By the looks of it, you can handle yourself but uh… would you… I mean, if you ever need a partner… Hey, maybe I could be your vice-captain this time around?” Suga laughs, but he knows Daichi is sincere. That’s just who he is. Reliable, strong, heroic, the kind of person who would never let Suga face danger alone.

“I don’t know, I’d have to talk to Ukai-san about it. I mean, I didn't choose to gain these magical powers. _They_ chose _me_. Er, or so I’m told. Ukai-san could’ve definitely been lying. Actually, I’m pretty sure he’s lying.”

“Ah, well,” Daichi huffs out, “maybe those powers can choose me too, if I ask nice enough. What kind of powers do you think I’d have? If you’re ‘sugar’, maybe I’d be ‘spice’?”

It’s ironic given Suga’s fondness for both spicy foods and Daichi but, “No way, you’re not spicy. You’re more like… coffee, maybe?”

“Coffee and sugar, huh? That could work.” Lights shine brightly from behind the two. They turn and see the familiar headlights of Takeda’s car growing closer, ready to pull over beside them. Suga squints and sees Ukai in the front seat next to Takeda, carrying a large bird cage covered in dangling talismans and scrolls.

“Coffee and sugar, uhm, sounds a bit romantic actually,” Daichi’s voice wavers just a bit and he clears his throat. Suga gets to his feet and hoists Daichi up. “Also sounds like... a nice thing to get tomorrow. You know, together. After we’ve both slept this off. Maybe. If you’d like. We don’t have--”

“Daichi.” Suga cuts him off with a grin. “I’d love to.”

The both of them watch as Takeda parks the car, realizes who’s standing with Suga, and promptly launches into panic. Ukai just kicks the door open and wrestles out the bird cage as the chick starts peeping angrily at the sight of it.

“Say, are you still thinking of asking them to offer you powers like mine?”

“Of course. I wouldn't let you face all this alone.” Daichi smiles warmly and wraps one arm around Suga’s waist, pulling him closer.

“Good.” Suga replies. “I think we’d make one hell of a team.”

**Author's Note:**

> As I said, I mostly do fan art. I'm electricprince on tumblr !!


End file.
